june 2017 cover final_Layout 1 5/31/17 2:19 PM Page 1
JU NE 2017
GD USA
GD USA GRAPHIC DESIGN USA
AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS SPONSORED BY
THE CREATIVE GROUP
EDUCATORS TO WATCH JUNE 2017
PRINT 17 SHOWCASE LOGO TRENDS REPORT PRINT DESIGN SURVEY SPONSORED BY
VERSO
www.gdusa.com
June 2017 Print Survey Impo_SEPT 07 People 5/31/17 12:12 PM Page 28
54TH ANNUAL
PRINT DESIGN SURVEY
SPONSORED BY
VERSO CORPORATION
BY GORDON KAYE
28 G D USA
June 2017 Print Survey Impo_SEPT 07 People 5/31/17 12:13 PM Page 29
TEN OBSERVATIONS ON THE STATE OF PRINT DESIGN For the 54th year, GDUSA has conducted a reader survey about print design. When print was predominant, our surveys got into the weeds: details about projects, presses, papers, practices. Today, print is an option and a choice and, therefore, the survey focuses on existential questions: its role, purpose and future. Here, the 2017 results and comments are both suggestive and informative.
Print remains crucial as to how professional
1 2
graphic designers make a living. Fully 98% of respondents say they work in print as part of their mix and 3-in-4 projects
Print’s special role comes with responsibility:
6
superior print design, well-crafted production, strategic deployment, sustainable manufacture and distribution matter as
involve a print component.
much, perhaps more, than ever.
Designers retain responsibility and control
Year-over-year trends move almost glacial-
for critical portions of the print process,
ly. Still, today’s results reflect continuing
with more than 8-in-10 involved in print buying and paper specification.
7
trends that will not surprise: paper specifying is modestly declining, somewhat less print is being bought, and digital printing
3
Designers believe print perseveres because
and related papers play in an increasingly larger role in the
of its classic strengths. Foremost is touch —
print marketplace.
sensual, physical, real, permanent, credible — the human connection that is
There is less resistance to the idea of
missing in the virtual world.
social media as an advertising and mar-
These classic strengths are amplified by
4
8
context. In today’s digital clutter print has
keting vehicle. Many respondents don’t love it but increasingly acknowledge that this is “where the eyeballs are” and seek
the potential to stand out and be special —
ways to maximize response through cross-media approach-
fresh, welcome, surprising, disruptive,
es that sometimes include print.
personal, engaging, meaningful, a statement that a brand values itself and its customers. Print lends itself to certain audiences and
5
offerings where communication needs to
Package design and packaging papers,
9
be retained, contemplated, touched or
labels, and substrates are a growth area since the need for packaging is less impacted by online communications than other traditional print areas.
trusted: luxury goods and premium services are a classic example. Age is also an issue:
the older the audience, the greater the need for a print component, and vice versa.
In this moment of in-your-face political
10
activism, many designers say that print works exceptionally well to embody and make tangible political expression. One consequence is a mini-boom in posters,
signs and flyers that appear at events and then as memes online. Temporary or permanent? Hard to know.
G D USA 29
June 2017 Logolounge_feb news play 5/31/17 12:42 PM Page 40
LOGOLOUNGE | THE 2017 LOGO TREND REPORT SHADOW BREAKS Even when limited to the claustrophobic confines of a two-dimensional page, turning potential reality into graphic representation has never been insurmountable by a crafty pack of designers. Over the years, the traditional and signature move of any designer worth their salt has been to create a line-break when one element briefly passes beneath another. Excising a clean piece of a line from the mark just before it passed beneath another gave a visual signal of layers intermingling without one layer merging into another. And despite the appearance of this in a portfolio signaling a designer’s coming of age, replacing the gaping hole with an abrupt shadow is a much more normal course of action. These Shadow Breaks are generally managed without slow gradation. A flat tone, a step or two deeper in value achieves everything a line break could but moves a mark one step closer to a natural representation and not just a symbolic representation of dimensional layering. This technique demands an additional tone as opposed to flat color, but that’s seldom a deal killer. I can’t imagine line breaks are ready to shuffle off the mortal design coil, but at least this fresh way of expressing hierarchy of levels will allow us to mix it up a bit. Shaking up the status quo is always worth a second consumer glance.
GARDNER DESIGN, SWPLUS
UNIPEN, DOUBLE DIFFERENT
DAMIAN KIDD, UNUSED
ALMOSH82, BOTANIKA
FADES Watch these marks, as they seem to rise out of a deep fog to expose themselves to the public. Whether in the process of coming or going, the viewer can be assured there is transition afoot. These marks are defined by gradient that takes an image and slowly allows it to sink into the page as it brakes from 100 to zero. Though it’s easy to imagine these living against a black or colored background, there is a freshness that seems to make white the field of choice. This lightness signals new beginnings and virgin opportunities and offers up an ideal sense of place. These gradual fades only work if the designer is willing to reveal enough of the design bones to allow the consumer to complete the missing picture. This mark for Be! Five Branding, composed of a series of five sequentially vanishing circles, works because even the quarter circle alludes to enough of its former self. Even letterforms let themselves get caught early enough in a vanishing act to be fully identified. I note the circular marks remind me a bit of the “loading” animations that rotate onscreen. Not sure that’s a smart device to associate with an identity. My encounters with these usually leave me wondering if I’m committed enough to the promised forthcoming content to stick it out or click off.
JULIAN THOMAS PECK | BRAND-CRAFT, BRAND-CRAFT
40 G D U SA
STORIENCE, EBC
BRANDFORMA, SIMPLY ANALYTICS
BE!FIVE BRANDING & IDENTITY, BE!FIVE BRANDING & IDENTITY
June 2017 Logolounge_feb news play 5/31/17 12:42 PM Page 41
RISING COLOR This wraps up our third trend that is actually more technical in nature as opposed to form in orientation. Rising color is a subtle approach to the separation of layers or depth in a logo. A mark generally lives on a flat plane, so any inference of depth or dimension has to choose early on if it’s leaning towards realism or symbolism. If this trend had to choose, it would probably set up camp toward the realism side, but since it lacks shadow and highlight, it may fall closer to the middle. The premise here is to build a surface gradation that follows a pathway through a mark so that any line or shape crossing over itself is evident by a shift of color intensity from the area it overlaps. Though this is rife with possibilities for linear marks, it doesn’t have to reside there. The mark for Minneapolis Downtown Council starts with a deep blush of color in the lower right, and as it loops around like an off-ramp, it’s able to project under and upward without shadows or line-breaks for separation. Obviously, you won’t pull this off without the use of halftone, but that consideration in a mark seems to be losing the tug-of-war with such a high percentage of clients living in an RGB world.
NOT PROVIDED, AVANADE
CAPSULE, MINNEAPOLIS DOWNTOWN COUNCIL
DOTZERO DESIGN, GENERATIONS UNITED PDX
COURTRIGHT DESIGN, BITWISE
SIMPLICITY As a continuing homage to a Spartan lifestyle and not candy-coating our words, form in logo design is wearing the simplicity moniker like a badge of honor. These marks remind me a bit of natural food products that suggest you best avoid ingredients you can’t pronounce. If the building components of a mark don’t look like they belong in a set of play-blocks, you may be busted. Though many of these look like a throwback to the 60’s and 70’s, the more mature color palettes and application of attending visual brand language assure us they’re tomorrow’s generation. Color is still clean but usually tweaked to avoid the primary juvenile aesthetic. Shapes are usually standalone but always compound with others to tell the story. If your parts require much more than a right angle and an arc or two, you probably aren’t going to fit in this genre. Like the Colorforms, Legos, or blocks of your youth, the juxtaposition or arrangements of three or four elements can become infinite. Note the logo for Love Cinema. Fashioned from a heart, a box, and two circles, it could be reconfigured for hours before someone would arrive at this arrangement with such evident symbolism. A client trying to express an unencumbered aesthetic could do much worse.
CHERMAYEFF & GEISMAR & HAVIV, GRUPO IMAGEN
ZENDESK, ZENDESK
MASKON BRANDS, LOVE CINEMA
LOGOHOLIK, ALCO ELECTRONICS
G D U SA 41
2017 web awards_SEPT 07 People 5/31/17 10:44 AM Page 54
AMERICAN WEB DESIGN AWARDS | WEBSITES
54 G D USA
Design Firm: 828:design, Asheville NC Client: Sitework Studios Title: Sitework Studios Website Designer: Chris Hunter Web Developer: Andrew Kinnear Photographer: Amplified Media Copywriter: Courtney Morgan
Design Firm: 828:design, Asheville NC Client: Bunn House Title: Bunn House Website Art Director: Jim Bixby Designer: Andrew Kinnear Web Developer: Andrew Kinnear Photographer: Warner Photography
Design Firm: 828:design, Asheville NC Client: Precedent Furniture Title: Precedent Furniture Website Designer: Tom Petruccelli Web Developer: Integritive Photographer: Robert Allred
Design Firm: 828:design, Asheville NC Client: The Old Wood Co. Title: The Old Wood Co. Website Designer: Tom Petruccelli Web Developer: Integritive Photographers: Creative Cargo, Michael Oppenheim
2017 web awards_SEPT 07 People 5/31/17 10:45 AM Page 55
Design Firm: Adventure House, New York NY Client: American National Bank Title: American National Bank Website Creative Director: Alexander Acker Art Director: Brian McDermott Web Developer: Max Tokman, Off-Site Services, Inc. Copywriter: Dan Foley, Tailored Ink Interactive Producer: Nathan Crandall
Design Firm: Anda Creative, St. Louis MO Client: Deployed Resources Title: Deployed Resources Website Creative Director: Amanda Summers Art Director: Tim Holdmeier Designers: Ed Sheehan, Corey Lee Digital Director: Amanda Potts
Design Firm: Andra Design LLC, New York NY Client: Altria Group, Inc. Title: Altria 2016 Annual Report Website Photographers: Casey Templeton, Ed Wheeler Art Director and Designer: Andra Hoffman Senior Website Designer: Brianna Meyer Senior Website Developer: Nic Scott
Design Firm: Argus, Emeryville CA Client: Berkeley Lights Title: Berkeley Lights Website Art Director: Jeff Breidenbach Designer: Jeff Breidenbach
G D USA 55
color idea_Layout 1 5/31/17 12:46 PM Page 90
COLOR FORECAST Pantone Color Institute Releases Fall 2017 Fashion Color Report for New York and London Fashion Week PALETTES LEAN INTO WARM AND COMFORTING CLASSICS, WITH REFRESHING AND DYNAMIC ACCENTS Each season the Pantone Color Institute evaluates the colors shown by fashion designers in their collections at New York Fashion Week and now London Fashion Week. This information is used to create The PANTONE® Fashion Color Report, which serves as a color reference throughout the season for fashion enthusiasts, reporters and retailers.
NEW YORK COLOR PALETTE “Bookended by a dynamic Grenadine red and a tawny Autumn Maple, the color palette for Fall 2017 leans more to warmth,” says Eiseman. “While comforting, enveloping colors and ease are crucial to the seasonal feeling, standout shades like pale pink Ballet Slipper, a refreshing Golden Lime and a bright Marina blue add a striking touch when paired with the classic autumnal shades of Navy Peony, Neutral Gray, Butterum and Tawny Port.”
GRENADINE
TAWNY PORT
BALLET SLIPPER
BUTTER RUM
NAVY PEONY
A powerful, evocative, dynamic red, Grenadine is a confident and selfassured attention-getter.
Taking the Red family to new depths, Tawny Port is elegant, sophisticated, and tasteful.
Descended from the Red family but with a softer touch, Ballet Slipper is always flattering and reminiscent of the rosy glow of health.
This snug, warming, and toasty shade is evocative of drinking a glass of its namesake by a roaring fire on a cool Fall evening.
A mainstay for the season for both palettes, Navy Peony is a dependable and anchoring shade. Solid and stable, the hue takes some of the load off of black as a go-to neutral.
NEUTRAL GRAY
SHADED SPRUCE
GOLDEN LIME
MARINA
AUTUMN MAPLE
The standard bearer of all neutrals, Neutral Gray shares the anchoring role with Navy Peony in this palette. It can be used as an accent or a head-to-toe statement shade.
Shaded Spruce is a green you might see in the forest — sheltering and protective as evergreen trees.
An earthy tone with a twist, the golden undertones of Golden Lime makes this yellowgreen shade a refreshing complement to Fall classics.
Cool with an enhanced vitality, Marina is the only truly cool color in the Fall palette for New York that brings with it freshness and brightness.
A quintessential autumn color, Autumn Maple is tawny and russet, introducing warmth into the palette.
90 G D U SA
color idea_Layout 1 5/31/17 12:47 PM Page 91
“There is a commonality between the colors we are seeing on the runway in New York and London,” says Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. “However, individuality is evident and we are seeing a distinct difference between the shows in the two cities in the way these same colors are being combined.” “Led by a vivid Flame Scarlet, the color palette for Fall 2017 is comprised of strong classic colors complemented by a few unpredictable shades for the autumn and winter seasons,” noted Eiseman. “Unexpected combinations such as Royal Lilac and Otter or Lemon Curry with Blue Bell are eye-arresting and create an unusual color dichotomy.”
LONDON COLOR PALETTE “Led by a vivid Flame Scarlet, the color palette for Fall 2017 is comprised of strong classic colors complemented by a few unpredictable shades for the autumn and winter seasons,” noted Eiseman. “Unexpected combinations such as Royal Lilac and Otter or Lemon Curry with Blue Bell are eye-arresting and create an unusual color dichotomy.”
FLAME SCARLET
PRIMROSE PINK
TOAST
BLUE BELL
ROYAL LILAC
A vivid, powerful red, this strong shade leads the way in for Fall in London.
Primrose Pink is an embracing and gentle pale pink shade.
Toast brings a comforting, warmhearted presence to the autumn winter season.
This tranquil blue reflects connection and a soothing sense of peace.
An enchanting purple that provides a theatrical linkage to the other colors in the palette.
OTTER
NAVY PEONY
COPPER TAN
LEMON CURRY
GOLDEN OLIVE
A country color that comes to the city, adding an earthy grounding and a sense of rootedness.
A mainstay for the season, Navy Peony is a dependable and an anchoring shade. Solid and stable, the hue takes some of the load off of black as a go-to neutral.
Copper Tan is a burnished shade known for its welcoming warmth.
Exotic and spicy, Lemon Curry adds a touch of piquancy to the seasonal color story.
A staunch yet stately green, Golden Olive provides sturdiness.
G D U SA 91
Educators Impo_Layout 7 5/31/17 1:07 PM Page 94
94 G D U SA
Educators Impo_Layout 7 5/31/17 1:07 PM Page 95
EDUCATORS
TO WATCH As a complement to our perennial and popular special reports — “People To Watch” (influential professional creatives) and “Students To Watch” (rising graduates of note) — we add an annual “Educators To Watch” feature to our mix. The reason: design education and educators have more influence than ever on the fast-changing shape of design, media and culture. This is certainly true of todays group, who run the gamut from legends like Richard Wilde, Mary Scott, Phil Hamlett and Ellen Lupton to relative newcomers, from full-timers to adjuncts, from teachers to administrators, and from those who planned a teaching career and those who found it by serendipity. The common thread is that these are people who are making a difference to their students, schools and community. In a field this broad and deep, the selection process is clearly subjective and weighted to those we know, admire and respect. We humbly invite your help in identifying our next round of educators to honor.
t
RICHARD WILDE
SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS (SVA) For the past five decades, Richard has been the founding Chair of the BFA Design Department at the School of Visual Arts as well as Chair of the BFA Advertising Department with a combined enrollment of over 1,000 students. He is also a Laureate of the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame and Laureate of the One Club Hall of Fame. Richard states: “I’m a Designer, an Art Director, and Author of more than 20 books, including ‘Visual Literacy’ and ‘Problems:Solutions.’ My latest book, ‘The Process: A New Foundation in Art and Design’ focuses on solving visual communication design problems by creating conditions that put students into the unknown, where questioning and risk taking maximizes possibilities of innovation, which leads to a trust of process.”
HOW AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO MAKE EDUCATION A MEANINGFUL PART OF YOUR CAREER?
I didn’t decide to become an educator, education chose me. To elaborate, I’ve always taught students to follow their passion, and I couldn’t have said that if I hadn’t done the same. For teaching to be a lifetime endeavor, the experience must nourish both the teacher and the student. IS THERE A SPECIAL CHALLENGE TO EDUCATING STUDENTS IN 2017 IN LIGHT OF TODAY'S CULTURE OR ECONOMICS OR TECHNOLOGY OR POLITICS OF THIS MOMENT?
Although teaching has always been a challenge and I’ve found that when I embrace change, which is inevitable, it becomes a question of responding to the demands of the industry, technology and society. But, what doesn’t change is teaching one to think in a new way, where innovation of both thought and form is the criteria. This is the constant, and this unique ability is what prepares students for a career for the next 50 years.
G D U SA 95